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Glossary
Hoop and Pole/Dart Game
The Hoop and Pole/Dart game is an Aboriginal game that was played by children and Elders on the Plains. There are many variations to this game in which a hoop was rolled and a pole or dart was aimed at the center. Points were earned when the pole/dart goes through the middle.
Recreation
Different kinds of activities that amuse, stimulate, develop abilities, or provide an avenue for social contact. Recreational activities are usually considered to be fun and enjoyable.
Sport
A form of activity that usually has certain rules, traditions, or customs attached to it.
Aboriginal
These are the descendents of the original inhabitants of North America. First Nations, Inuit, and Métis People have unique heritages, languages, cultural practices, and spiritual beliefs. Aboriginal is also a term used in other parts of the world to refer to the first inhabitants of a given area.
Community
People who are part of a larger group that shares similar interests and backgrounds including religion, language, and ancestry make up a community.
Culture
Culture includes the customs and shared beliefs, attitudes, values, goals, practices, social forms, and material traits of a religious, racial, or social group.
http://www.edukits.ca/aboriginal/spirituality/index.htm
Indigenous People
The original inhabitants of an area and their descendants are referred to as indigenous. Aboriginal People in Canada are considered indigenous to Canada.
North American Indigenous Games (NAIG)
NAIG is a two-week celebration that demonstrates unity among Indigenous Peoples from all regions and cultures across Canada and the United States through friendly competition in sport and cultural events, and helps to promote the holistic concepts of physical, mental, emotional, and the spiritual growth of individuals.
Pow Wow (powwow)
The word powwow originates from the Algonkian word pau wau. It refers to a gathering that includes singing, dancing, and socializing. The powwow event is also a way to remember heritage, culture, and traditions amongst Aboriginal People. The powwow is practiced across North America.
Cree Nation
Although there is evidence that the Cree lived in the parkland regions of the West for sometime, the Plains Cree originated in the East and moved to the Plains through their involvement with the fur trade. While the term “Cree” most likely originated from a French name of unknown origin, their own term Kristineaux is Nehiyawak for “exact people.” There are many branches of the Cree Nation spread across the country, typically divided into the Plains Cree, Woodland Cree, Swampy Cree, and Moose Cree. Originally they were woodland people and spoke the Algonquian language of Eastern Canada.
Blackfoot Confederacy
The Plains people were composed of five distinct nations. Three Nations within the confederacy share a common language and culture and are known as the “Blackfoot Proper” or “Siksika” – the Blackfoot, the Blood, and the Peigan. The other two Nations in the confederacy are the Sarcee and the Gros Ventre. At the height of their power, the Blackfoot Confederacy commanded territory from the North Saskatchewan River, south to the Missouri, and from the present Alberta – Saskatchewan border to the Rocky Mountains.
Oral History
A method of sharing one's history, culture, and traditions through the use of stories and legends. |
